For years I have loved the Canvasback wines by winemaker Brian Rudin. Founded back in 2011, Duckhorn pioneers Dan and Margaret Duckhorn saw the great potential for adding Washington Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain to their portfolio of wines. Today Canvasback makes a range of wines and utilizes the vineyard management talents of Dick Boushey to source from some of the state’s great sites including Klipsun, The Funk Estate, La Coye, Shaw and Quintessence Vineyards. Canvasback crafts their ‘Grand Passage’ Cabernet Sauvignon, entirely sourced from Red Mountain and also has a relatively new estate vineyard, the Longwinds Vineyard, on Red Mountain right above Col Solare. The Longwinds Vineyard was planted in 2013 and has 13.5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 4.5 acres of Merlot, with the Cabernet grown in the rockier, exposed soils at the top of the vineyard, and the Merlot grown near the bottom, where the soils have higher water-holding capacity.
Winemaker Brian Rudin is originally from Eastern Washington and worked at L’Ecole No. 41 before serving as head winemaker for four years at Cadaretta and Buried Cane. I really enjoyed the new wines that he has made. Coming from this somewhat challenging vintage, the 2019 Canvasback ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 92) is very concentrated and dense, showing the wonderful deep earthy tones that you expect from Red Mountain. Learn more about these great new wines at https://www.canvasbackwine.com Here are the beautiful new Cabernet Sauvignon releases by Canvasback.
2020 Greenwing ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The Greenwing bottling is their entry level wine that comes from a range of appellations including Red Mountain and the Walla Walla Valley. Right away this delivers ripe figs with sweetened blackberry and black currant flavors, with dusty earth. Enjoy now and over the next several years. Drink 2022-2028- 90
2019 Canvasback ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2019 ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon is an outstanding value by winemaker Brian Rudin. Sourced from great sites including Klipsun and Quintessence Vineyards, this offers tar and tobacco leaf flavors alongside intense boysenberry cordial and mocha tones. This is truly delicious and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon that offers some really great value. Enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2022-2032- 92